en
Back

From Pollution to RefleAction: the focus is on the Iris Ceramica Group once again, in the atmospheric setting of Piazza Santo Stefano, Bologna.

 

Iris Ceramica Group, an Italian leader in the production of porcelain and high-tech ceramics, will present the Pollution 2018 – RefleAction project in connection with Cersaie 2018.

In the atmospheric setting of Piazza Santo Stefano in Bologna a temporary installation, the result of a partnership between the company, studio MC A and SOS School of Sustainability, insinuates itself in the urban space in the hope of a new and virtuous equilibrium between man and nature.

Pollution 2018 – RefleAction is the most recent event in a company philosophy aimed at environmental sustainability that began fifty years ago, the demonstration of the Group’s
constant commitment to research, new technology and social responsibility.

In 1972 , at the height of an economic boom, the company became the spokesperson of a message in favour of the environment, creating a unique artistic event for the time in Piazza Santo Stefano: “Pollution: per un’estetica dell’inquinamento”.
For the occasion 10,000 tiles that reproduced clods of earth, each of which was signed and numbered by the Iris Ceramica brand, covered the whole of the square, acting as a stage for the
installations and performances by 26 artists on the theme.
Today in the same square, 46 years later, the Iris Ceramica Group revisits the message, developing and transforming the act of protest into thought and action.

Designed by the young architects of SOS – School of Sustainability, Mario Cucinella’s postgraduate academy, 40 young oaks emerge from Bologna’s historic centre, in an artificial terrain
created from a large reflective slab with a striking geometry that aims to subvert the usual relationship between the city and nature. Material therefore becomes nature, just like the
Active Clean Air & Antibacterial Ceramic™ technology becomes the surfaces of the narrativepathway, mapping out the road of reflection on important environmental themes.

The provocative and pioneering action of protest in 1972 finds a concrete answer to improving the quality of life for humans and the environment, offering new opportunities to the world of
architecture and design.

“Piazza Santo Stefano becomes the setting for Pollution once more: from Pollution to RefleAction”, says architect Mario Cucinella. “46 years later a wood has grown from the clods of earth, to break through the boundaries of a city, metaphorically represented by the geometry of a slab that insinuates itself into the design of the square. But the same slab also portrays a ‘reflection’ that makes man aware of being part of a greater ecosystem”.

Federica Minozzi, CEO di Iris Ceramica Group, explains the company philosophy and the eventpromoted by the Municipality of Bologna thus:
“Pollution ‘72 was the first public step on a pathway that Iris Ceramica never stopped following, working with professionals on sustainable growth and investing in research on the effects of production, whose aim today is zero impact”.
Offering, 46 years later, a new Pollution in partnership with SOS means entrusting this increasingly urgent theme to experts who can create designs that stimulate thought and investment in a more sustainable future.
In 1972 this act of protest was entrusted to the most visionary and provocative artists of the age. Today the torch has been passed to designers and architects, who act as guarantors of the urban landscape and messengers of social value. If in fact, as I believe, the future is born from the present, the commitment of the Iris Ceramica Group now is to act daily to ensure that the generations to come will have a healthier environment”.

From 23rd to 28th September 2018, , the experiential installation RefleAction will be open to citizens and the public in the city.

The Pollution 2018 RefleAction communication project has been developed with the Laboratorio delle Idee, involving Davide Rondoni, who has curated three performances that involve the public through music, theatre and dance, inviting them to reflect on these themes.

#Pollution2018 #RefleAction #IrisCeramicaGroup

Share